A mum of 18-month-old-twins is planning to run the Virgin Money London Marathon in aid of charity Beating Bowel Cancer.

Marie-Claire Benson, 39, of Rectory Avenue, High Wycombe will run to raise awareness of the disease which affects one in 20 people and is the second leading cause of death by cancer in the UK, after friend Tom Pearce beat the condition this year.

She said: “Tom kept on running marathons throughout his two-year battle with bowel cancer, even after major surgery.

“His determination has been just the inspiration I needed to get my trainers back on after my caesarean 18 months ago.”

Her aunt Gilly Chadwick has also beaten bowel cancer, having been diagnosed with the illness thirteen years ago when she was 51.

Marie-Claire, a commercial and marketing director for a film company, became a member of the High Wycombe Twins Club when her twins Spike and Rémy were born.

She said some of the group’s members, as well as her husband and children, will be there to cheer her over the finish line.

She added: “I have wanted to run the London Marathon for as long as I can remember, not just for personal achievement, but to take a stand for all my friends and family who have suffered because of cancer. It’s setting an example to my children too."

To sponsor Marie-Claire, visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/mrsmcbenson.

For more information and advice about bowel cancer, visit www.beatingbowelcancer.org.